Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

A Multidisciplinary Techno-Economic Decision Support Tool For Validating Long-Term Economic Viability Of Biorefining Processes, Sumesh Sukumara

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Increasing demand for energy and transportation fuel has motivated researchers all around the world to explore alternatives for a long-term sustainable source of energy. Biomass is one such renewable resource that can be converted into various marketable products by the process of biorefining. Currently, research is taking strides in developing conversion techniques for producing biofuels from multiple bio-based feedstocks. However, the greatest concern with emerging processes is the long-term viability as a sustainable source of energy. Hence, a framework is required that can incorporate novel and existing processes to validate their economic, environmental and social potential in satisfying present energy …

A Human-Centric Approach To Data Fusion In Post-Disaster Managment: The Development Of A Fuzzy Set Theory Based Model, Mubarak Banisakher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is critical to provide an efficient and accurate information system in the post-disaster phase for individuals' in order to access and obtain the necessary resources in a timely manner; but current map based post-disaster management systems provide all emergency resource lists without filtering them which usually leads to high levels of energy consumed in calculation. Also an effective post-disaster management system (PDMS) will result in distribution of all emergency resources such as, hospital, storage and transportation much more reasonably and be more beneficial to the individuals in the post disaster period. In this Dissertation, firstly, semi-supervised learning (SSL) based …

Identifying And Overcoming The Barriers To Sustainable Construction, Cristin Szydlik

Doctoral Dissertations

"Sustainable construction has become increasingly more prevalent over the last decade. All federal and most state government buildings are mandated to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification (at the silver level at a minimum). Although sustainable construction is increasingly more common, there are still barriers to the successful completion of a sustainable project, specifically with regards to projects achieving LEED certification. There are still holes in the guidance on how to successfully achieve LEED certification. Even though government agencies have mandated LEED certification, the existing barriers are preventing buildings from achieving certification, which can delay the building …

A Contingency Base Camp Framework Using Model Based Systems Engineering And Adaptive Agents, Dustin Scott Nottage

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research investigates the use of adaptive agents and hybridization of those agents to improve resource allocation in dynamic systems and environments. These agents are applied to contingency bases in an object oriented approach utilizing Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) processes and tools to accomplish these goals. Contingency bases provide the tools and resources for the military to perform missions effectively. There has been increasing interest in improving the sustainability and resilience of the camps, as inefficiencies in resource usage increases. The increase in resource usage leads to additional operational costs and added danger to military personnel guarding supply caravans.

The …

Neuromodulation Based Control Of Autonomous Robots On A Cloud Computing Platform, Cameron Muhammad

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, the advancement of neurobiologically plausible models and computer networking has resulted in new ways of implementing control systems on robotic platforms. The work presents a control approach based on vertebrate neuromodulation and its implementation on autonomous robots in the open-source, open-access environment of robot operating system (ROS). A spiking neural network (SNN) is used to model the neuromodulatory function for generating context based behavioral responses of the robots to sensory input signals. The neural network incorporates three types of neurons- cholinergic and noradrenergic (ACh/NE) neurons for attention focusing and action selection, dopaminergic (DA) neurons for rewards- and …

การศึกษากลยุทธ์ทางธุรกิจของมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะ, ธนพินท์ มังคละภาณุพงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์เล่มนี้เป็นการศึกษาแผนกลยุทธ์ทางธุรกิจของมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะ ที่ใช้ Balanced Scorecard ในการแปลงกลยุทธ์ไปสู่ภาคปฏิบัติ โดยมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อหาดัชนีชี้วัด (Key Performance Indicator: KPI) และ ปัจจัยหลักแห่งความสำเร็จ (Critical Success Factor: CSF) สำหรับขั้นตอนในการทำ Balanced Scorecard จะเริ่มจากการกำหนดวิสัยทัศน์ และพันธกิจ ของธุรกิจมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะ หลังจากนั้นทำการวิเคราะห์ SWOT Analysis แล้วจับคู่ให้อยู่ในรูป TOWS Matrix เพื่อหาวัตถุประสงค์และตัวชี้วัดในการจัดทำแผนที่เชิงกลยุทธ์ (Strategy Map) โดยมีกรอบการวัดและประเมินผลของธุรกิจ ผ่านมุมมองการวัดผล 4 ด้าน คือ มุมมองการเรียนรู้และการเติบโต มุมมองกระบวนการภายใน มุมมองด้านลูกค้า และมุมมองด้านการเงิน โดยมีดัชนีชี้วัดทั้งหมด 32 ตัว และมีปัจจัยหลักแห่งความสำเร็จทั้งหมด 20 ตัว ตัวอย่างเช่นดัชนีชี้วัดและปัจจัยหลักสู่ความสำเร็จของมุมมองด้านการเรียนรู้และเติบโตคือ ความปลอดภัยของพนักงาน และจำนวนครั้งของการเกิดอุบัติเหตุในสายการผลิต มุมมองด้านกระบวนการภายในคือ อัตราของเสียจากการผลิตและจำนวนของเสียที่เกิดขึ้นในสายการผลิต มุมมองด้านลูกค้า คือ อัตราการส่งคืนสินค้าและจำนวนมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะที่ถูกส่งคืน และมุมมองด้านการเงิน คือ อัตราส่วนรายได้ในส่วนของลูกค้ารายใหม่และจำนวนลูกค้ารายใหม่ที่เพิ่มขึ้น โดยขั้นตอนสุดท้ายจะเป็นการกำหนดแผนปฏิบัติการ (Action Plan) ของธุรกิจเพื่อกำหนดหน้าที่ความรับผิดชอบ ขั้นตอนในการดำเนินงาน การควบคุมและติดตามผลการดำเนินงาน ผลจากการศึกษาโดยการสำรวจความคิดเห็นจากผู้เชี่ยวชาญพบว่า แผนยุทธศาสตร์และกลยุทธ์จะใช้ได้ในช่วงการเริ่มต้นธุรกิจ โดยมีแบบแผนปฎิบัติการในการควบคุมการดำเนินงานตามตัวชี้วัดในแต่ละมุมมอง

การศึกษาปัจจัยที่ก่อให้เกิดตามดในกระบวนการหล่อฉีดแรงดันสูง, แพรวดี แก้วคงคา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วัตถุประสงค์ของงานวิจัยนี้คือการศึกษาปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อตามดในกระบวนการหล่อฉีดแรงดันสูงอลูมิเนียม R14 สำหรับคอมเพรสเซอร์ของชิ้นส่วนยานยนต์ ที่แรงดันในการฉีด 75 ถึง 85 เมกกาปาสคาล ความเร็วในการเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วต่ำ 0.16 ถึง 0.30 เมตรต่อวินาที ความเร็วในการเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วสูง 1.8 ถึง 3.0 เมตรต่อวินาที ระยะที่ลูกสูบเคลื่อนที่ด้วยความเร็วสูง 320 ถึง 340 มิลลิเมตร และแรงดันสุญญากาศ -93.0 ถึง -100.0 กิโลปาสคาล โดยการตรวจสอบการวิเคราะห์พื้นผิวตอบสนองกับวิธีบ็อกซ์-เบหน์เคน การออกแบบเพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยและความสัมพันธ์ของพารามิเตอร์และหาสภาวะที่เหมาะสมเพื่อลดสัดส่วนตามดให้เกิดขึ้นน้อยที่สุด จากผลการทดลองพบว่าทั้ง 5 ปัจจัยมีอิทธิพลต่อการเกิดข้อบกพร่องประเภทตามดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญที่ระดับความเชื่อมั่น 95 เปอร์เซ็นต์ ส่งผลให้สัดส่วนของเสียตามดลดลงเหลือ 5.18 เปอร์เซ็นต์จากการตั้งค่าสภาวะที่เหมาะสมจากการทดลองได้แก่ แรงดันในการฉีดคือ 85 เมกกะปาสกาล การเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วต่ำคือ 0.30 เมตรต่อวินาที การเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วสูงคือ 2.49 เมตรต่อวินาที ระยะที่ลูกสูบเคลื่อนที่ด้วยความเร็วสูงคือ 326.81 มิลลิเมตร และแรงดันสุญญากาศที่ -97.28 กิโลปาสกาล

Strategic Decision Support System Using Heuristic Algorithm For Practical Outlet Zones Allocation To Dealers In A Beer Supply Distribution Network, Michelle Lee Fong Cheong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We consider a two-echelon beer supply distribution network with the brewer replenishing the dealers and the dealers serving the outlet zones directly, for multiple product types. The allocation of the outlet zones to the dealers will determine the quantity of products the brewer replenishes each dealer, which will in turn impact the total warehousing and transportation costs. The non-linear optimization model formulated is difficult to solve to optimality, and the model itself does not include practical business considerations in the distribution business. A heuristics algorithm is designed and easily implemented using spreadsheets with Visual Basic programming to effectively and efficiently …

Risk Minimization Of Disjunctive Temporal Problem With Uncertainty, Hoong Chuin Lau, Tuan Anh Hoang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Disjunctive Temporal Problem with Uncertainty (DTPU) is a fundamental problem that expresses temporal reasoning with both disjunctive constraints and contingency. A recent work (Peintner et al, 2007) develops a complete algorithm for determining Strong Controlla- bility of a DTPU. Such a notion that guarantees 100% confidence of execution may be too conservative in practice. In this paper, following the idea of (Tsamardinos 2002), we are interested to find a schedule that minimizes the risk (i.e. probability of failure) of executing a DTPU. We present a problem decomposition scheme that enables us to compute the probability of failure efficiently, followed …

Enhancing Agility Of Supply Chains Using Stochastic, Discrete Event And Physical Simulation Models, Alok K. Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Managing supply chains in today’s distributed manufacturing environment has become more complex. To remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, organizations must streamline their supply chains. The practice of coordinating the design, procurement, flow of goods, services, information and finances, from raw material flows to parts supplier to manufacturer to distributor to retailer and finally to consumer requires synchronized planning and execution. Efficient and effective supply chain management assists an organization in getting the right goods and services to the place needed at the right time, in the proper quantity and at acceptable cost. Managing this process involves developing and overseeing …

Thermolysis And Kinetics Of Scrap Tyre And Bagasse For Energy Utilization, Petro Ndalila

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The increase of energy demand has brought concern to find alternative fuel that will at least sustain the requirement. Bagasse and scrap tyre are waste generated in our industrial activities, which can be used in energy production to subsidize the demand. This paper, aim to study the decomposition behaviour and kinetics of biomass (bagasse) and scrap tyre as preliminary stage of fuel sample analysis to be considered for energy production in gasification/combustion or pyrolysis facilities. The behaviour demonstrated with thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), shows that all samples have high volatile amount release, 84.21% for bagasse and 85.08% for scrap tyre, which …

Analysis Of Factors Affecting Technological Innovativeness In Engineering Enterprises In Tanzania, Emanuel Mjema

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper discusses the technological innovativeness in engineering enterprises in Tanzania and analyses the factors affecting the innovativeness. It starts by analyzing various concepts regarding innovation, then analyzed from documentary review factors affecting innovativeness and then analyzed the innovativeness in Tanzanian enterprises. From the documentary review it was learnt that the following key factors influence technological innovativeness: Existence of innovation management; Existence of market to absorb the products of innovation; Existence of partnership between the universities and the firms; Existence of positive culture and politics towards innovation; The government playing its role to influence innovation; Existence of the right knowledge; …

Modeling Reliability Growth In Accelerated Stress Testing, Jason K. Freels

Theses and Dissertations

Qualitative accelerated test methods improve system reliability by identifying and removing initial design flaws. However, schedule and cost constraints often preclude sufficient testing to generate a meaningful reliability estimate from the data obtained in these tests. In this dissertation a modified accelerated life test is proposed to assess the likelihood of attaining a reliability requirement based on tests of early system prototypes. Assuming each prototype contains an unknown number of independent competing failure modes whose respective times to occurrence are governed by a distinct Weibull law, the observed failure data from this qualitative test are shown to follow a poly-Weibull …

Analysis Of The Industrial Skill Set; Lewis County Case Study, Jonathan Shane Wallingford

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Science and Technology Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Jonathan Shane Wallingford on December 13, 2013.

Toughening Of Poly(L-Lactic Acid) With Cu3Btc2 Metal Organic Framework Crystals, Ajay Kathuria, Mohamad G. Abiad, Rafael Auras

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and metal organic framework (MOF) composites were prepared by melt extrusion of PLLA with 5, 10 and 20% w/w of activated Cu₃(BTC)₂ MOF. The morphology and stability of injection-molded samples were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composites showed improved toughness during the tensile tests as compared to the neat PLLA matrix. Toughness mechanism of the composites was studied using SEM and rheological studies. SEM images indicated that cavitation induced by debonding at the interface of PLLA and MOF particles during …

Acuta Enews December 20132 Vol. 42, No. 12

ACUTA Newsletters

In this Issue...

1 Board Approves Slate of Nominees

1 A Gift from ACUTA to You!

2 Nominate Now for Ruth A, Michalecki Leadership Award i

3 What's on Your Desk?

4 From the Listserv

6 RF Video Distribution Solution for the University of the South

7 Info Links

8 Board Report

9 Welcome New Members

9 Check It Out

S1nn Gmbh & Co. Kg (Automobile Connectivity Module 1.1), Tyler Alexander Ball

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The results of this report show how when diagnostics were run on the Connectivity Module 1.1, the problems discovered such as potential short-circuiting, 90-degree copper tracing angles, and components overheating/tombstoning were addressed. By using the method of “DMAIC,” which stands for Design, Measure, Analyze, Implement, Control, successful corrections were made. In the first design of the Printed Circuit Board (PCB), 1454 critical issues were found. With the newly designed PCB’s modifications being implemented, only 12 critical issues remained, which were later addressed and corrected. The results from this report are a functional Automobile Connectivity Module 1.1.

Project Management Of High School Shadow And Building An Engineer Day, Andrea M. Carroll

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Building an Engineer Day and High School Shadow are semi-annual outreach events hosted by Cal Poly’s Society of Women Engineers section during fall and spring quarters. The events focus on encouraging women and minorities to take an interest in engineering. These events are the two largest outreach events hosted by The Society of Women Engineers and need to run smoothly in order to provide student attendees with a meaningful experience.

Building an Engineer Day and High School Shadow are currently un-organized and un-planned, which leads to problems with officer retention, increase in expediting process and a low attendance rate at …

Equipment Maintenance And Replacement Decision Making Processes, Michael W. Gage

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This project contains recommendations for the decision making processes for support and production equipment maintenance and replacement for a large defense contractor. Recent literature has been reviewed to provide perspective on current trends in the field. A complete evaluation of their current processes and systems is included with recommendations on areas for improvement. A decision support system is also proposed to supplement their existing decision making.

Fixture For Carbon Fiber Spar Of Human Powered Helicopter, David John Ikeda, Luis Gonzalez

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The following report describes our contribution to Cal Poly Human Powered Helicopter for the 2012 competition for the Sikorsky Prize offered by the American Helicopter Society. In order to win this prize the team needs to build and fly a human powered helicopter for more than 60 seconds reaching and altitude of 3 meters while staying in a 10 meter square box. Our team was created to support the integration of Carbon Fiber parts, specifically the carbon fiber spars with rotor and landing gears. Precise cutting and accurate drilling was needed and our team was tasked with creating a fixture …